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New Statistics Reveal Post-Recession Paradigms of Population Growth

Governing takes a closer look at the U.S. Census Bureau’s most recent population estimates to reveal the data behind the country’s shifted migration patterns and present some ideas about what’s driving the new migration paradigms.

Fifteen states and the District of Columbia increased their population more than 1 percent between July 2012 and July 2013, but some states grew by attracting new residents from other states while other, usually young states, increased by year-over-year natural increases.

North Dakota, Washington D.C., and Denver are three of the state’s that increased their population most through net migration. The article, by Mike Maciag, cites the example of Colorado to show how demographic changes are driving the net migration in that state: “Many of those moving in, Garner said, fall in the age 25 to 34 bracket, establishing residency in the Denver, Colorado Springs or Greeley metro areas. For a long time, some of these gains were offset by retirees moving out of the state. This gradually changed, though, as net domestic migration for the 65-and-over population is now nearly positive, Garner reports.”

Meanwhile, Utah recorded the nation’s highest birth rate in several years: “Utah, the youngest state with a median age of 29, has recorded the nation’s highest birth rate the past several years. Between July 2012 and last summer, an estimated 51,000 babies were born and less than 15,000 residents died statewide.”